Physicians and other medical personnel are frequently exposed to stray radiation during diagnostic, therapeutic or surgical procedures. Exposure to stray radiation over prolonged periods can be dangerous. To shield against radiation it has been the practice for physician, or other personnel, to wear a protective lead apron, as well as a rigid lead glass head shield, which is attached to the upper portion of the apron. As the apron and head shield have a substantial weight, wearing of this equipment for prolonged periods is extremely fatiguing and can cause back pain and vertebral damage.
To overcome this problem, it has been proposed, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,341 to support the lead apron from an overhead dolley, so that the weight of the apron is not supported by the user. However, devices of this type provide limited maneuverability and in many instances, due to the installation of other overhead equipment, it is not possible to mount the supporting dolley in an overhead position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,538 describes a radiation shield that includes a rigid radiation shielding window that is suspended from an overhead dolley and a series of flexible strips of radiation shielding material are suspended from the lower edge of the window. Again, devices of this type have limited maneuverability and as the user must part the flexible strips to perform a working operation, it does not give full protection for the body.